1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a fluidtight seal for a container and, in particular, to a permanent, fluidtight seal formed through a compressive force. The compressive force deforms a container closure device causing a seal to interact with the container closure device and inner walls of the container in a fluidtight manner. The compressive force is then removed and the fluidtight seal is maintained until a destructive force is applied to the container closure device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Seals of various configurations and materials are well known in the art for sealing a container in a fluidtight manner. There are basically two known ways that these variously configured seals interact with the container to form a fluidtight barrier. The first way a seal is maintained in a fluidtight manner is through the force of the contained fluid forcing the seal into fluidtight interaction with the container. This type of fluidtight seal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,421,325 to Napolitano, 5,092,496 to Gayle et al. and 4,457,523 to Halling et al. The second way a seal is maintained in a fluidtight manner relies on the continued application of an external compressive force such as through the use of bolts or other fasteners. This type of fluidtight seal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,332,573 to Romanos and 4,991,858 to Abila et al. Both of the aforementioned seal designs require a continual force or pressure to maintain seal integrity. Thus the utility of these seals is limited to applications in which forces necessary to close the sealing surfaces properly need to be continually applied to maintain liquid tightness.
What is needed is a watertight seal that may be maintained without the need for compression, pressure, or the like from an external force once the seal has been made. Such a watertight seal would have many advantages over the previous designs, including the elimination of the weight, physical bulk and costs associated with the materials, such as nuts, bolts, plugs, and fittings, used to create the external force necessary to maintain seal compression.